Big Bear bald eagles soon to welcome third chick as pip appears in egg

For several days, excitement has grown around the two new hatchlings of Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear’s celebrity bald eagles.

On Thursday, a pip — or the first sign of hatching — was seen in the third egg in the avian couple’s clutch. Triplets would be unprecedented for the eagles in a decade of observation.

“Earlier this morning, we saw the pip in the third egg, and the hole has gotten bigger,” said Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, the conservation group behind the webcam that livestreams the aerie overlooking Big Bear Lake. The eaglet is “actively working on getting out of the egg.”

The process could take several days, as it did for the other two chicks when they hatched earlier this week.

Those chicks are doing well and have both been eating, though sometimes they are too busy pecking at each other to get their food, Steers said. That kind of sibling rivalry is normal, and though fans may become concerned with the eaglets’ welfare, the biologist reminds that this is “just part of watching nature.”

Jackie and Shadow have not had three chicks at the same time since Friends of Big Bear Valley started observing their behavior in 2015.

In 2019, they had two chicks. In 2022, they had one hatchling and another egg, which did not hatch. Last year, they had a trio of eggs, stirring excitement among fans, but none hatched.

Steers said of the three eaglets and their parents, “We’ll get to learn how they treat each other, how they behave.”

More chicks mean more feeding, and Shadow brought three fish to the nest Wednesday, so the chicks should have plenty to eat.

The two already hatched chicks, who will be named by the public in the days to come, are “looking much stronger than they were even yesterday,” according to Steers.

“I can’t even describe how thrilled I am,” she said. The livestream is seeing record viewership. “It just fills my heart that people are so open to connecting with nature and appreciating it.”

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Watchers who worry about the effects of winter weather should be confident in Jackie and Shadow’s ability to care for the chicks, Steers said.

Rain and snow may cause the parents to do fewer feedings in order to limit the chicks’ exposure to the elements. But all three chicks will be small enough to fit underneath whichever parent is guarding them, she said.

“Jackie and Shadow are insulated and waterproof,” Steers said, and their body temperature of 105 degrees will keep their offspring plenty warm. When chicks get bigger, there can be issues fitting under parents and staying warm, but that is not a present concern.

Steers cautioned viewers, however, that they are getting an unfiltered look at nature, where things can go wrong: “We just have to let them live and appreciate that we get to watch the magic.”